A New Constellation
by Quixotic Colors
Summary: Months after Season 2, STARISH is working hard while QUARTET NIGHT is trying to find a new songwriter. They soon learn that HEAVENS is gaining more popularity. It's time to gain new recruits. STARISH & QUARTET NIGHT are now a part of the Kazumi Festival with HEAVENS. As they search for new idols, will they join Saotome Academy? Or will they follow another path?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Quixotic Colors does not own anything.**

"La la li li la li la..." were the words that came out of Nanami Haruka's mouth as she tried to think of some new melodies for STARISH'S next album. Unfortunately, those seven two-lettered words were all that she could think of as the reddish-orange haired girl did not have anything around her that could be used as inspiration. The sounds of cars honking, people talking on their phones, and the increasing heat in temperature were not helping her focus. She sat on a park bench, a small notebook on her lap as her pencil laid in her hand writing nothing down. Haruka sighed, deciding that she had enough fresh air and that focusing in the Master Dorms would be a better option. She placed her notebook and pencil in her bag and stood up to leave. As the young composer continued to walk through the park, she stopped a few feet away from a fundraiser for a small orphanage.

Small, young children sang and tried to display their talents to the crowd; although, there were not that many people stopping to donate. The children's expressions were full of melancholy with the adult-in-charge being in sorrows as well. Currently, a small five year old girl was playing nursery rhymes on a piano with the other children singing along.

"A-Ano, minna-san, would you care to donate for these young children for a better future? We are hoping to reach 5,000¥ towards buying school supplies and basic house equipment. We are only 1,000¥ away from reaching that goal. Today is our last day of fundraising, won't you please donate?" The adult asked hesitantly as the people continued to walk by.

Haruka's heart sank as she saw that nobody was donating and was ignoring the fundraiser. The yellow-green eyes girl started to walk towards the small stage, willing to donate, when a voice caused her to stop in her tracks.

"May I play?" asked the soft voice.

Standing next to the small piano girl on stage was a teenaged girl who appeared to be younger than Haruka. Her curly pink hair was up by a brown ribbon, her purple eyes showed patience towards the little girl who nodded. The mysterious teen smiled in gratitude before sitting down.

"Minna-san, I hope you take the time to listen to this song and grant these children their dream," she called out to the crowd before starting.

"_Azayaka ni tobikau irotoridori no mahou_

_Toumeina watashi someageru_"

Haruka took a few steps closer to the stage, wanting to listen to the song louder. As the girl sang, her fingers touched the piano keys as if she was springing them back to life. The song, light and happy, caught the attention of the bystanders. They slowly began to donate money by handing it over to the adult whose previous sorrows gradually started to diminish. Haruka saw that the children were spinning around and danced to the soft beat. Haruka could feel the girl's warm passion, and it reminded her of when she was younger and enjoyed playing the piano to please her grandmother.

When the song ended, Haruka rushed over to speak to the girl but missed her opportunity. The children yelled out 'thank you' to the mysterious girl before restarting their talent show with confidence. There was a bigger crowd watching, making it hard for Haruka to reach the stage. She gave the adult a couple of bills before heading back to the Master Course dorms, unconsciously humming the melody of the girl's song. When Haruka opened the door, she saw the members of STARISH relaxing on the couches, and QUARTET NIGHT having a discussion at a table.

"Tadaima," she called out.

It stirred the attention of the STARISH members who looked up towards her as well as a quick glance coming from the QUARTET NIGHT members.

"Okaeri, Little Lamb," Jinguji Ren greeted her.

"Ne ne, Nanami, did you find any inspiration for some new songs?" Ittoki Otoya askef.

He had his acoustic guitar on his lap, strumming on random chords. The red-headed teen seemed to be enjoying himself.

Haruka smiled as she shook her head, "Iie, it was hard trying to think of a melody as there was so much noise blocking my concentration. I couldn't find a quiet spot to focus at."

Otoya looked surprised as well as the other STARISH members.

"Then what about the tune you were just humming to, Haru-chan?" Shinomiya Natsuki questioned.

"Eh?" Haruka seemed shocked, never realising that she was humming to the pink-haired girl's song, "Oh! I heard a girl singing for an orphanage fundraiser. It seemed to cheer everyone up."

"Orphanage? Ah! I remember there were many nursery schools and orphanages raising money. I already gave away a bit of my earnings to my old nursery school's fundraiser," Otoya thought out loud.

"Besides that, it sounds like a good melody, ne, Nanami?" Kurusu Syo asked.

"Hai, she held confidence as she played. Demo, I wasn't able to speak with her," Haruka told them.

"Hmm, it seems that there are new idols rising upon us," Hijirikawa Masato began to say.

"We better continue working hard if we want to stay well-known," Ichinose Tokiya said, finishing Masato's sentence.

At that moment, Kurosaki Ranmaru slammed a pile of papers on the table and ripped out the pair of earbuds out of his ears in anger. It caught the attention of Haruka and the members of STARISH by surprise while the other three QUARTET NIGHT members sighed and took out their pair of earbuds as well.

"I can't handle reading this kind of cr-p, let alone listen to them! The thought of singing them makes me want to scream for death!" Ranmaru cried out.

"Ran-Ran, calm down now. We haven't finished looking through all of them yet," Kotobuki Reiji said warily, "Maybe-"

"Urusai! We've looked over these crappy excuses for songs for days now. How on Earth can the next generation be this horrible in music?" Ranmaru screamed.

"Ne, is everything alright?" Aijima Cecil asked.

He looked at his senpais in confusion as he laid his elbow on Haruka's shoulder. The other members of STARISH glared at him until Masato decided to grab his arm and push it off Haruka's shoulder.

"QUARTET NIGHT is searching for a new songwriter, but it appears that no one can fit our style," Mikaze Ai stated.

"Hmph! Commoners here are starting to create such lousy music. They aren't worthy enough to even be writing songs," said Camus.

Haruka and the STARISH members walked over to the table, viewing the music scores that spread throughout the table. They each grabbed a sheet and froze in terror as they followed the music. It appeared that they were mostly notes chosen randomly; it was offensive to songwriters everywhere. What made it more terrifying were the lyrics that the writers included. They were all upbeat, cheerful, and full of what QUARTET NIGHT does not represent. Natsuki saw the cd player that they were using and turns it on, putting the music up high. It sounded much worse than what was written on the scores. It was enough for Haruka and the members of STARISH to sympathize the older idol unit.

"Oi! What's with those expressions?" Ranmaru barked out, "We don't need your pity!"

They all tried to avoid the silver-haired man's angry gaze. After a moment, Haruka stepped forward.

"A-Ano, if you'd like, I could compose some songs for you," Haruka said.

Before any of the QUARTET NIGHT members could reply and before any of the STARISH members could reject.

"Muri desu yo, Miss Nanami!"

Shining Saotome appeared in front of both idol units, making them take a step back in surprise. Although, he looked different. The academy principal had on a serious expression set on his face instead of his usual mischievous smirk. It made everyone hesitant and bemused on what to do and what was going on with him.

"Gakuen Kocho, why can't Haru-chan write for them?" Natsuki asked.

"A songwriter must be able to understand and have a deep connection with whom they are writing to. Miss Nanami, how much do you know about the members of QUARTET NIGHT? Do you understand them?" He questioned her.

Haruka did not reply as she knew that she can not answer.

"Follow me," The academy teacher called out.

He leaded them towards the common room and turned on the large flat screen t.v. The screen presented the members of HEAVENS on a stage. It seemed that the video was a recording of one of HEAVENS's concerts. The two idol units looked confused on why they were watching it as they heard the music begin. It wasn't until the members of HEAVENS started to sing did they realise the reason.

"_Oh...(music)... Splash!_

_1, 2 step karayakana flow_"

As HEAVENS sang, Haruka, STARISH, and QUARTET NIGHT watched in amazement at how much passion they could feel within the music.

"Shoudou de nana ka hajimeyou

_Nan juu toori no sentakushi no mukou_

The beat was addictive and pleasing. The lyrics matched HEAVENS's personality.

_"Just take it, take it off_

_Itsumo wa dekinai_

The song had a sexy and untiring mood with a bit of self-confidence.

"_Baby, baby girl_

_Kimi sura kimi wo shiranai_

_Dakara coming up_

The crowd was cheering energetically with hearts practically in their eyes. They all were enjoying the song.

"_So you can step up_

_Kimi no honnou_

_Kaki midasu hodo choukousoku_

_Here we go now, here we go now_

_And splash_"

HEAVENS's dance moves were in an active sync. Haruka couldn't help but see how the idol unit had a certain aura built around them as they sang.

"_So you can step up_

_Tsigi wa motto_

_Hai ni naruhodo [Oh Oh]_

_Here we go now, here we go now_

_And splash**_

The members of HEAVENS appeared to be enjoying their performance. There wasn't an overconfident smirk as big as usual on Otori Eichi's face; Mikado Nagi's greyish eyes held a sparkle along with his mischieviousness; and even Sumeragi Kira looked relaxed and had a creak of a smile on himself.

As they continued to sing, the two idol groups and Haruka watched in astonishment as HEAVENS blew them away. They all thought of the same question within their head: What has changed HEAVENS since the last time we met?

Once the song ended, Shining Saotome pulled out the remote and paused the t.v.. The displeasing expression was still set on his face.

"As you can see, HEAVENS is increasing their popularity rapidly," he said.

With another click of the remote, images of commercials, magazine covers, interviews, t.v. appearances, etc. shows up on the screen with all of them staring HEAVENS.

"This is bad. Bad!" The principal yelled out, "I can feel HEAVENS rising up in this business, it must stop!"

"Why is that?" Otoya questioned.

Shining Saotome stopped running his hands through his hair in frustration and quickly walked straight in front of Otoya who jumped in surprise.

"Mr. Ittoki, do you know what is occurring in the music industry in a couple of months?" He asked.

"Eh?" Otoya looked confused as well as some of the others.

It was Tokiya who replied, "The Wakana*** Awards!"

"Correct, Mr. Ichinose. The Wakana Awards is a 'once every ten years' event, a rare opportunity."

"Ano, what's the Wakana Awards?" Haruka wondered.

"According to my data, the Wakana Awards are medals and prizes given as rewards to musicians and idols strictly decided through watching each nominee's work, personality, popularity, and dream. They analyze what fans/haters/and strangers thinks of them as well as the people who work with them. The awards expand over a large variety of categories," Ai stated.

"That is correct, Mr. Mikaze. Additionally, not only are there awards for both of your units, there are awards for the music companies as well!" Shining Saotome included.

The importance of the Wakana Awards surprised some of them while Ren, Masato, Tokiya, and Natsuki pondered on what their cyan blue haired senpai had said.

"Mikaze-senpai, what do you mean by dream?" Tokiya asked.

"It is a difficult area to receive as you only have one shot to gain it. You get an interview with the judges, and it depends on what you reply them with. No one knows what they are looking for and what dream they are discussing about," Ai said.

"You all have months before that occurs," Shining Saotome told them, "We must focus on the music company awards or else Shining Agency with be destroyed."

***Hitori Janai Akashi by Mami. (I don't actually know the english translation to this song and only found the romaji lyrics. It sounded like a sweet song, so I couldn't help but use it.)**

****Splash by Da-iCE**

*****Wakana means harmony; play music**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Quixotic Color does not own anything.**

_"You all have months before that occurs," Shining Saotome told them, "We must focus on the music company awards or else Shining Agency with be destroyed."_

Haruka, STARISH, and QUARTET NIGHT looked at Shining Saotome in shock.

"D-Destroyed?!"

"Gakuen Kocho, what do you mean?" Tokiya questioned.

"The Wakana Awards are crucial when it comes around. Rising stars prefer their sponsored agencies to have those kinds of awards" he answered.

"Have you even won a Waka-whatever award?" Ranmaru demanded.

"Whoo!" the academy principal yelled out as he spun around on his foot.

"Why yes, Mr. Kurosaki, I have!" Shining Saotome told them.

"Honto?!" Otoya exclaimed, "Do you think you can show it to us?"

"Mochiron, Mr. Ittoki. You all must know what you are aiming for!"

With a double clap of his hands, the curtains closed and the lights went out.

"Eh?!" Natsuki, Syo, Cecil, Otoya, and Reiji all called out.

After a couple minutes there was another double clap and the lights were on as well as the curtains opening from the windows.

Shining Saotome stood on the couch laughing loudly, a silver glittering trophy sitting on top of the table.

"Behold at its magnificentness!"

STARISH, QUARTET NIGHT, and Haruka walk forward towards the shining trophy and looked down on what was written below. On the golden plaque, it read:

**SHINING AGENCY**

**FIVE STARS ON SPECIALIST CRITERIA**

**FIVE STARS ON INNOVATION**

Natsuki, Syo, Otoya, Reiji, and Haruka looked at it in awe. Ren had on an amused expression while Tokiya and Masato had their thoughts on the words 'specialist criteria' and 'innovation' that the Wakana Awards people applauded the Shining Agency for.

"Unfortunately," the academy principal's solemn voice caused everyone to look at him, "Raging Agency has one as well: Five Stars for Specialist Criteria and Distance Learning."

"Gakuen Kocho," Masato began, walking forward towards the older man, "Please explain to us what those categories mean. Special criteria, innovation, distance learning, what do they all mean?"

"Mr. Mikaze, would you please explain it to them," Shining Saotome asked the cyan-haired boy with a tone that meant that he wanted someone else to speak instead.

Ai sighed before looking up at everyone with a deadpan expression, "Specialist Criteria: World-class status excellence on a specific field that looks on the agency's accreditation and discipline rankings. Innovation: How the agency's activities affect society and culture. Distance Learning: Looks upon student services and technology, track record, student faculty engagement, student interaction, commitment to online and reputation of the university."

"On. The. Bright. Side," Shining Saotome stressed out each word, "We are ahead of Raging Agency with ONE more award."

"Maji?! Then where is it?" Syo asked.

"With me, of course," the principal opened up a side of his red jacket and took something out from a big indoor pocket.

In his tanned hands was a shimmering microphone-shaped crystal with a black stand at the bottom. As the group leant in closer, they saw a silver plaque that said:

**SAOTOME MITSUO**

**TOP SUCCESSFUL AND PASSIONATE IDOL OF THE YEAR 19XX**

"Sugoi!" Natsuki exclaimed.

"Impressive for the man who was able to build Saotome Academy just from his hit single," Masato said.

"But at this rate, that darn Otori will win most of the Wakana music company awards and cause my agency to fall!"

"How do you know that's even going to happen?" Camus asked.

"I have a feeling, a gut sensation saying so," the academy principal announced, causing everyone else to sweatdrop.

"So what do you want us to do then?" Ren asked the dark brown haired man.

"We start by recruiting new idols and composers!"

The eccentric man's statement surprises everyone as they have never expected him to say that.

"Recruits? Nande?" Natsuki asked.

"Yeah! What's wrong with us?" Syo exclaimed.

"Nothing. Nothing! Nothing is wrong with you all! Demo, we can't have our two top leading idol units winning Wakana awards alone. You all represent Shining Agency and the more of our idols gaining Wakana awards, the quicker the people will understand that Shining Agency has multiple stars skyrocketing with talent," Shining Saotome said.

"There is a Wakana award for the music company with the most achieving idols, isn't there?" Ren declared.

"Moving on!" The academy principal shouted, allowing everyone to know that such an award existed.

"What about the current idols here?" Haruka asked, wondering for her best friend, Shibuya Tomochika.

"Impossible," he said carelessly, "They are all too weak."

"What do you mean by that?! Aren't we all the same as the idols at this school?!" Otoya calls out.

Haruka could not believe that Shining Saotome had said that, thinking about what Tomochika would have done if she heard it. She would have yelled at the principal, proclaiming that the other students are just as good as STARISH and QUARTET NIGHT.

"You all are different," he stated, "Your determination and talent is what helps you become a rising idol."

"But what about the other students? Do they not have that same determination and talent?" Tokiya questioned.

Haruka remembered the times when Tomochika would talk passionately of aiming to become an idol that people could look up to. There was a radiance around the pinkish-purple eyed teen as she spoke about her dream.

"I will make things simple," Shining Saotome asserted, "This school has a limited amount of students who are accepted by taking a required exam. I am not able to speculate each and every one who comes it. They may have a dream of becoming an idol with the talent to help them, but it all depends if the people will accept them."

"Accept them?"

"Mr. Ichinose, you have gained some sort of understanding of this while you were HAYATO, right?" He asked.

Tokiya sighed morosely, "Hai. People wanted HAYATO in television appearances. My dream was to become a singer. It bruised my pride, and I almost lost hope for my goals."

"See? Even if they have determination and talent, the people must accept them for who they are, or else they will eventually fade in desperation," Shining Saotome stated.

"You mean that not everyone at Saotome Academy will reach their dreams?" Otoya questioned.

"If they passed the graduation audition, they will. Tell me, how much work have you seen from other Shining Agency students?" The academy principal asked.

They all took the time to think. To be honest, while they have seen multiple familiar faces appearing across television screens and magazines, it mostly occurred after the graduation audition each year. There were some Shining Agency idols like Takatsuki Yayoi* who have risen and were still present in the idol business. For the rest, it is mostly once in a while with it being either a guest appearance; on the credits list; or being part of a small, independent film or tv show.

Haruka remembered when they first arrived to take the Master Course, Tomochika had been busy with work while also being happy to feel what it was like to be a professional idol. Recently, Haruka had been getting calls from her, asking if she wanted to hang out as she didn't have much work to do. Through the phone, she could tell that the dark pinkish-reddish haired teen was feeling less and less confident with her goal.

Tomo-chan..., Haruka thought sorrowfully.

"Let's continue. STARISH and QUARTET NIGHT will be taking part with the Kazumi Festival!" Shining Saotome stated.

"Kazumi Festival? What the hell is that?" Ranmaru questioned.

The older man grinned, "There's only one other person here who knows it besides me."

Everyone but the principal and one other person turned to Ai, immediately believing that he would provide them a detailed explanation on the subject. To their surprise, he didn't know what it was either.

"My database expands on the knowledge of recorded information. Nothing has ever been mentioned about a Kazumi Festival," Ai defended himself.

"Wait, so it isn't Ai-senpai who knows it?!" Syo asked.

Shining Saotome nodded, "Mr. Kotobuki, would you care to say a few words on the Kazumi Festival?"

Everyone turned to look at their dark brown-haired senpai in shock and surprise. Reiji just gave them a sheepish chuckle and shrugged.

"How come you didn't say anything, you idiot?!" Ranmaru yelled at him.

"It's because the Kazumi Festival is top secret," Reiji told them.

"Secret?"

He was not able to answer as the academy principal quickly interfered. He handed everyone except for Reiji a silver plastic ID card with the words 'Guest Star' at the center. Haruka was given a creme-colored plastic ID card with the word 'Guest' at the center. They all looked at it confusingly before facing the man in front of them.

"These are your ids to get into the Kazumi Festival. Make sure you don't lose it," he told them.

"Ano, Gakuen Kocho, we still don't know what the festival is about," Tokiya said.

"I suggest you all sit down for this one," a male voice calls out from behind them.

Tsukimiya Ringo and Hyuuga Ryuuya had on an exasperated look on their faces.

Ryuuya released an aggravated sigh, "Shining-san has been obsessed with the Kazuki Festival for years ever since he got invited. He has been forcing us to go with him every year since we've been employed by him."

"We actually knew that Reiji was a member as well even before he came to Saotome Academy and became an idol. He grew up being part of the Kazumi Festival," Ringo said.

Haruka, STARISH, and QUARTET NIGHT stole a glance at the discussed senpai who looked away before they turned their attention back to their principal who was now dancing in happy glee, no doubt thinking about the festival.

"It's his paradise. He becomes infused with the music there, and he can't help but get more and more hyper," Ryuuya stated.

"Kazumi Festival! The name meaning 'Beautiful Melody'!" Shining Saotome began.

Ringo and Ryuuya forced everyone to sit down on the couches and stood behind their boss, most likely having to help him unwillingly. Reiji was allowed to sit on the arms of the couches near to the principal.

"A glorious, glorious, GLORIOUS EVENT!"

Instantly, out came poster-sized pictures being held by the teachers of Class S and Class A.

"A six day festival held over a span of two weeks with one special last day. It holds the harmony to all star and idol activities."

The pictures showed images of people singing, dancing, acting, designing, and modeling.

"It's where people can enjoy performing the things that they are passionate about and can still follow their other dreams that they want to take. They don't have to deal with the pressure of having to take the route that they believe are impossible and still be able to act like an idol or a model," Reiji told them.

Tsukimiya-sensei held a picture that presented of Reiji teaching people appearing from different ages on how to play instruments while Ryuuya had a picture of a younger version of their brown-haired, silver-eyed senpai who was bowing on a stage with the audience clapping.

"So much talented artists, so many affectionate pulses! They must be recruited!" Shining Saotome exclaimed passionately.

The pictures changed with images of a young man with messy dark brown hair, hazel brown eyes, and tanned skin having fun with the backgrounds containing a stage, food stands, competitions, and it ended with him being with a red-haired woman whose face is hidden.

"Gakuen Kocho, who is that?" Syo asked, looking at the pictures, "He kind of looks like-"

"Me!" Two voices sprung out.

Cecil and Otoya looked at each other as they were the ones who have spoken. Although, it was true. The young man had Otoya's facial appearance and Cecil's hair and skin tone.

"That is Saotome Mitsuo! It was me when I was still an idol and attended the Kazumi Festival," Shining Saotome answered.

"Eh?!"

This shocked almost everyone as they could see the resemblance.

"A-ano, could it be that you had a child when you got older?" Otoya asked.

They all looked at the red-haired teen with confusion except for Haruka and Reiji; meanwhile, he looked at Shining Saotome with determination.

Could the man standing in front of me be my legitimate father? Otoya thought.

* * *

***From The iDOLMASTER: Shiny Festa**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Quixotic Colors does not own anything.**

_They all looked at the red-haired teen with confusion except for Haruka and Reiji; meanwhile, he looked at Shining Saotome with determination._

_Could the man standing in front of me be my legitimate father? Otoya thought._

"Possibly," the principal replied.

"You mean you don't know?!"

The eccentric man gained a solemn expression as he took the picture of his younger self and the redheaded girl from Ringo's hands. He glided his fingers through the flat surface of where her hair was placed.

"The love of my life left me one day without an explanation," he replied.

Everyone was silent for a couple seconds before Shining Saotome snapped out of his daze, "Now is not the time. We must discuss about your competition and performance at the Kazumi Festival!"

"Competition? Performance?" Cecil questioned.

"Aren't we only attending the event to gather new idols?" Ren asked.

Reiji shooked his head, "Celebrities don't get in easily. It's rare for them to be able to attend the Kazumi Festival."

"Eh? Doushite?" Natsuki wondered.

"Celebrities are already well-known for their talents worldwide. The KazuFest people go there for fresh entertainment and enjoyment. Idols will only steal the show," Shining Saotome told them, "That is why if you want to be included, you must provide them an event that will be prized by you."

He took out the remote again and pressed a button. The T.V. screen presented famous idols like Miyamoto Konatsu*, and famous musicians like Hino Kahoko**. They were sitting at a judges' table, watching as contestants performed, or they were giving out lectures and advice to motivated students.

"You must create only ONE event with a prize that captures their attention. ALSO! You must perform a song whether it is for your song or not, you must perform," Shining Saotome stated, hinting that they can't get out it.

"Can we participate in other competitions and events?" Syo asked.

"Mochiron! Shikashi, not on the day of your event, and you are not allowed to join the Kazumi Royal Events."

"Royal events for commoners?" Camus questioned.

"On the last day of the festival, each event category holds a final competition where they crown the winner. For example, two girls have won the Foreign Song Event," Shining Saotome explained, "This is last year's winner for the Rock Song Royal Event."

On the screen, a teenaged girl who looked older than the STARISH members but not as old as the QUARTET NIGHT members except for Ai. She resembled Tokiya with her long messy dark blue hair. She walked onstage with an electric guitar, her green eyes screaming with joy. Unbestowed to everyone else, Tokiya's eyes widened at the sight of her.

She started to play the electric guitar with a bass guitar coming in later within the song. Soon, drums join in the background.

"Kinou mita yume wa mou wasureteshimatta kedo

Kono kodou wa mada dokidoki shiteru yo"

The teenaged girl sang with confidence that Haruka found similar to the pink-haired girl from earlier.

"Pocketto ni arittake no koin o tsumekondemiru

Kakata o narashi semai heya o deyou"

Then they felt that sensation again - the intense passion in the girl's voice. It was empowering, full of strong, uplifting emotion that would make people follow her words. It was like the girl had a self-assuring, fearless aura that couldn't bring her happiness down.

"Saa hashirinukero kinou to kyou mada minu mirai e to go!

kakumei o okashi ni ikou yume o kanae ni ikou"

The girl walked around the stage with no hesitation within her movement. She touched the fingertips of the people in the crowd, and it became hard for Haruka, STARISH, and QUARTET NIGHT to believe that they weren't watching one of her concerts.

"Kakedashitara doko made mo ikou

Ainshutain no riron mi bukkowashite tsukisusumo***"

When the song ended, the crowd cheered the girl with standing ovation. A smirk of satisfaction was placed on her face before the screen goes dark.

"Did you feel the pulse? The strong, self-confident appearance within her?"

They were all silent. It wasn't easy for them to admit that the girl had a bright future if she continued towards the path of becoming an idol.

"She's a good guitar player," Ranmaru commented reluctantly, "but whoever played the bass needs to practice more."

"The girl gathers the attention of the crowd easily," Ai noted.

"If she became an idol," Masato started.

"She could gain popularity easily," Ren finished.

"These are the kinds of people you must recruit," Shining Saotome announced.

"Now. Plan your event!"

After Shining Saotome, Ryuuya, and Ringo left, everyone turned to Reiji.

"Nandeshouka?" he asked warily, his eye was twitching at the attention.

"Why is this Kazumi Festival top secret?" Cecil wondered.

"Well if it was public, there would be agencies trying to recruit those who perform as idols. Oh, wait, that's exactly what we're doing. I can just imagine them all running away once the topic comes up," Reiji said in a bitter tone.

"Oi! What's with your attitude?! Do you not want to win any of those Wakana Awards?!" Ranmaru barked out at him.

The brown-haired man sighed, "I do, I mean who wouldn't. But I disapprove with Shining's idea of recruiting from the Festival. It's supposed to be a place where people do not have to worry about having to become an idol or anything they are passionate about and could still follow another path. There will be some who will be nervous and get scared about the whole ordeal..."

"I'm sensing a but coming along," Masato said.

"...but there will be people who might consider being an idol," Reiji told them, "Anyways, we should start focusing on planning out event."

As he was about to walk away with the rest of QUARTET NIGHT behind him, Tokiya stopped him.

"A-Ano, Kotobuki-Senpai," the dark blue haired teenager started to say.

"Yes, Toki?" Reiji questioned, but he was still facing towards the hallway and not at Tokiya.

"I-Is there a chance that you know that girl? T-the one who we just watched a moment ago?"

For a couple seconds there was silence before Reiji replied softly, "Yes."

He continued to walk away, the rest of QUARTET NIGHT following in toll, as Tokiya froze where he stood. Haruka and the rest of STARISH looked at him in concern and wonder.

"Ichi, do you know her as well?" Ren asked him.

Tokiya didn't answer, instead replying with, "We should start planning out event now."

Haruka and STARISH sat on the couches and thought about what their contest should be.

"Ne, Ne! What about a 'STARISH'S CUTE OUTFIT' contest?" Natsuki beamed out.

Syo was the first one to reject his idea.

"I suggest a contest where we see which fan knows the most information on us," Masato suggested.

"What kind of questions then?" Otoya wondered.

"For example, we should ask questions like which member was in this recent movie or which member likes this type of food," Masato provided.

"That doesn't sound too bad, it looks like easy work to me," Ren agreed, sliding his hand behind his head, orange-toned hair falling onto the red cushions on the couch.

"And the prize?" Haruka asked.

It was silent as everyone began to think of ideas. Footsteps leading to where they were gradually started to increase bringing QUARTER NIGHT into the room.

"That was a quick meeting," Syo commented.

"We already discussed what our event is and the reward," Ai stated.

"Maji?! It hasn't even been an hour!"

"I told them some of the typical events that guest starred idols made up, and we just made a couple edits," Reiji boasted out.

"We're using this event to find our songwriter. If they can provide a great song with only an hour to work. They win," Ranmaru told them, "No more useless music."

"And the prize is spending a week after the Festival with QUARTET NIGHT to mostly discuss what will be happening with the song," Reiji added in.

"That's it!" Cecil exclaimed, "Our prize could be having our winner spend a weekend with us!"

"Oi! Aijima! Don't go stealing our ideas!" Camus barked out.

"Eh? How am I stealing them? You're having it your prize be a full week, our's would be a weekend. Yours would be after the Festival while ours could be during the Festival," Cecil countered.

Reiji shook his head, "That won't work. It's a six day festival that's within two weeks. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday are the days the festival are consisted on. The 'special day' as Shining calls it, would be on the Monday of the third week. All the no-festival days are for the members to prepare for the events and competitions that they want to compete in. Hardly anyone uses that time to do anything else beside get ready."

"Then the weekend after the Festival then," the brown-haired prince said happily.

A vein was able to be seen on Camus's forehead and before he could argue with his kohai...

"Ne, what's wrong with Tokiya?"

... The attention turned to Tokiya who was thinking deeply in space.

"Oi! Tokiya!" Otoya tried to call out to him.

He snapped his fingers in front of the dark blue-haired teen's face, waking him out of the clouds.

"Eh?"

He noticed that everyone is looking at him, "Nani?"

"Daijoubu desu ka, Ichinose-san? You've been unusually quiet," Masato pointed out.

"Ah, iie. I've just been thinking about that girl we just watched," he confessed .

"She was better than most paupers," Camus commented.

"Eh? Camus praising someone?" Reiji teased, but if they listened closely, they could have heard the hint of possessiveness.

"She does look like you," Haruka adds, "Are you sure you don't know her?"

Tokiya flinched as he could feel Reiji's eyes on him before saying, "I don't know."

"As much as I'd like for this discussion to continue," Masato said, "We should finish talking about this event as a couple of us have work today."

"Ah, gomen," Tokiya apologized.

Before the blue-haired teen (Masato) could tell him about their chosen competition idea, the dark blue-haired teen spoke.

"What about the fans covering one of our songs and see who performs it the best?" Tokiya advised.

"We already have an idea," Masato paused, "Demo. That isn't a bad idea. It will help find idols who have a good voice and a happy pulse as Gakuen Kocho had said."

"So our event is a STARISH song covering contest, and our prize is allowing the winner to hang out with us on a weekend after the Festival?" Otoya wanted to make sure.

"Hai."

"Ja. Then what about our performance? If they're covering our songs, then we don't really need to perform do we?" Syo said.

"Ne, what are you going to be doing with your performance?" Natsuki asked his senpais.

"We're performing during event to let those songwriters know what kind of music we sing to," Ranmaru said.

"Mou, then what will we be ending up doing?" Syo complained.

"Well Munchkin," Syo grimaced and glared at Ren as he continued to speak, "It looks like we have to participate in their events then."

"Looks like we have everything settled," Masato stated, "Now, I have to leave for a movie rehearsal."

Everyone all left, each having something important to do. Meanwhile, at the Shining Academy, a man sat at his desk holding a photo frame of a woman with red hair smiling.

"Kotomi..."

* * *

**I apologize for not being able to update on Sunday which is when I will usually be updating this story. Thank you for those who have favorited this story, are following this story, and have reviewed. I am just glad to know that there are people who are enjoying my first story.**

**Miyamoto Konatsu is from Tari Tari.**

**Hino Kahoko is from La Corda d'Oro.**

***Shine Days by LiSa.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Quixotic Colors does not own anything.**

_Everyone all left, each having something important to do. Meanwhile, at the Shining Academy, a man sat at his desk holding a photo frame of a woman with red hair smiling._

_"Kotomi..."_

The next day, Shining Saotome approached the two idol groups and Haruka early morning.

"Have you all figured out your plans for the festival?" he questioned.

They all nodded. Masato and Camus stood up, acting like representatives for each of their group. They were about to tell the dark brown haired man their idea when his large, tan hand stopped in front of their faces.

"STOP!" He called out.

Shining Saotome moved his finger around as if he was scolding a group of children, "No, no, no. You must not tell me what the idea is. You all must focus on having your event submitted and approved by the KazuFest staff."

Taking out two manila envelopes from behind him, he gave one each to Masato and Camus.

"Fill them all out and hand them back to me," the academy principal instructed, "We must hurry with turning in all of the paperwork."

"When exactly is this Kazumi Festival anyway?" Syo asked.

"In one months!" Shining Saotome told them.

"NANI?!"

"Why you ba-"

"Now, now, Mr. Kurosaki. It will not do well to start cursing," Shining Saotome told him.

Ranmaru growled, "Why the hell are we doing all this now when we have a month to do it?!"

"You can't really be surprised by this, are you Ran-Ran?" Reiji said, "It's like when you do a movie, after you finish filming it, it takes a few months before its released in theatres. But then again, you aren't really a patient man anyway."

Nearly everyone had their eyes dilated in shock and surprise by Reiji's new attitude. Ranmaru pushed him against the wall, his hand was fisted, gripping onto the brown haired man's shirt.

"Oi! What's with that attitude, you bastard?!" the white haired man yelled at him.

"Mr. Kurosaki, I would appreciate it if you put down Mr. Kotobuki," Shining Saotome said, one of his hands placed on the younger man's shoulder.

Ranmaru saw the academy principal's solemn expression, tched, and placed Reiji down.

"Mr. Kotobuki, please wait outside for a moment," Shining Saotome instructed.

Reiji did not look at any of them, just following the older man's instruction and walked out the front door.

"Do not take Mr. Kotobuki's current attitude to mind. He does not approve of this idea. Many of the staff members in the KazuFest do not approve of it. BUT! I know that this is the right way to go! This will be worth it!" Shining Saotome told them.

"Is there anything specific that is making Kotobuki-senpai act this way?" Otoya asked.

"You will see once that day arrives. Moving On! Complete those papers and give them back to me! You must prepare for this quickly!" Shining Saotome said, not providing them any clues on Reiji's new behavior.

"Now, I must discuss with Mr. Kotobuki for a moment. Work on the papers!" the academy principal told them.

He opened the front door, and everyone else was able to see Reiji on the phone talking to someone with a smile on his face.

A silence filled the room before Masato sighed, "We better get to work then."

Opening the two envelopes, they found papers of worksheets that included them writing in information about themselves. Then there were the worksheets on their event and a permission form for if they were going to participate in any other events. Haruka was given her own pile of papers that was in the STARISH envelope that included her only needing to fill out her identification sheets and participation permission form.

After a couple moments, the front door opened, revealing only Reiji coming out. It appeared that Shining Saotome had left.

"Hey everyone! What I miss?" he asked, acting as his usual, cheery self.

"How come it is only you that does not have to fill out any worksheets?" Camus asked him.

"I already told you. I'm a member of the Kazumi Festival, I don't need to fill anything out."

"Why you…," Ranmaru growled, "Then at least fill out the worksheets for our event for us then. Do at least something to help!"

Reiji shrugged and grabbed the worksheets before heading upstairs into his room.

"Ne, Ne, what do you think caused him to act like that before?" Otoya asked.

"He's probably protecting someone in the festival. I know I'd be protective if someone was out to take somebody I care about," Syo said.

His blue eyes glanced at Haruka before blushing and looking away. Some of the STARISH members were able to catch his gaze at Haruka and glared at him.

Not even half an hour has gone by and Haruka, STARISH, and three-fourths of QUARTET NIGHT were still working on the worksheets.

"Why is there so many?" Tokiya asked himself, looking down at his own sheet of papers, an aura of agitation surrounding him.

Footsteps were heard from behind him, and Reiji revealed himself with a smile on his face.

"Yo!" He greeted everyone.

He handed the remainder of QUARTET NIGHT the event papers and said, "I need you all to sign your name at the bottom."

Ranmaru stood up, "What the hell?! How did you finish this faster than us?!"

Reiji shrugged carelessly, "Those kind of worksheets take forever to complete. You'll be done soon."

His attempt to cheer everyone failed as everyone practically glared at him, except for Haruka. Seeing her smile at her papers, practically whispering to herself, "I'm done," made Reiji grin.

"Since it seems that Haru-chan is done, I'll take her out for a treat!"

Before anyone else could even try to say anything, Reiji grabbed Haruka and lead her out the door. Seconds later they could hear the sound of loud arguments happening within the Master Dorm. Most of the yelling included saying, "REIJI!"

* * *

Reiji lead Haruka towards the park, stopping near a bench.

"Ano, senpai, is everything ok?" she asked him as she tried to catch her breath.

Not even panting, Reiji smiled and said, "Of course! Why wouldn't I be?"

Thinking back on what Syo said, Haruka asked, "A-Ano, is there someone you want to protect at the Kazumi Festival?"

Reiji's brown eyes shown a spark of surprise before smiling softly, "Haruka, there's someone I'd like you to meet. I'm pretty sure you'd get along with her and understand a bit of why I disapprove with Shining's idea."

He walked towards a secluded area of the park where not many people were walking through. Haruka was able to see a red and white plaid picnic blanket on the ground which was where Reiji was heading towards. As Haruka walked closer, she was able to see two other girls sitting on the picnic blanket, one sitting rather close to Reiji. The reddish-orange haired girl held back a gasp as she realized that one of the girls was the dark blue haired girl that they had seen on TV the day before while the other was the pink-haired girl that she had seen performing for the orphanage fundraiser.

"Oi! Haru-chan, kochi, kochi!" Reiji called out to her, waving her to come closer.

The two girls looked at her, looking a bit confused before smiling. When Haruka was finally able to sit down, Reiji was quick to introduce her to them.

"Haru-chan, this is Honoka. Ichinose Honoka," Reiji said, gesturing towards the dark blue haired girl sitting closely to him.

"Hello," the girl stated.

Her face showed no expression, but her green eyes held warmth.

Haruka smiled, "Nice to meet you, Ichi...nose-san?"

As she was greeting Honoka, the reddish-orange haired girl finally realized the girl's last name.

"Mushkashite, are you related to Ichinose Tokiya-san?" She blurted out .

Honoka frowned as well as Reiji making Haruka regret asking. There was a moment of silence, the pink haired girl began to take out food from a picnic basket, and Haruka was about to sat to forget about her question when Honoka interrupted her.

"Tokiya is my younger cousin," she said, looking away from Haruka, "But we aren't that close."

"Eh? Nande?" The STARISH composer asked, "I'm sure that Ichinose-san would want to get close with his family."

"It isn't like Tokiya has the chance to," Honoka said.

"Doiyu koto?"

Honoka didn't answer, instead she replied with, "I introduced myself, can you do yourself now? "

"Ah! Gomenasai!" Haruka apologized, feeling guilty that the green eyed girl had to answer a personal question from someone she didn't know.

"Watashi Nanami Haruka desu. Yoroshiku."

"How do you know my cousin?" She asked.

"Ah! Ichinose-san is part of the idol group STARISH, and I'm the composer. We both went to Saotome Gakuen," Haruka explained.

"Hmm," Honoka looked like she wanted to say more but decided not to.

Haruka's attention switched towards the pink haired girl that was staring at her; she shifted under the gaze.

The pink haired girl smiled, "My name's Yumeiki Ayaka. Yoroshiku!"

"Watashi wa Nanami Haruka desu. I saw you perform for an orphanage fundraiser yesterday. Your performance was amazing!" Haruka complimented her.

Ayaka blushed, "Arigatou! I loved your music as well!"

Haruka looked at her in shock and confusion, "My music? I never sang live before."

Ayaka shook her head, "I meant the music you created for STARISH, they're magnificent and full of passion! I want to write music like that!"

Her purple eyes held determination, and Haruka couldn't help but see it remind herself of herself when she first came to Saotome Gakuen.

"D-Do you write any music?" she asked the younger girl even though she knew the answer.

Ayaka nodded. Honoka and Reiji sat next to each other silently, eating some of the packed food (potato salad, croissant club sandwiches, chicken salad pitas, etc) while watching them talk.

"Nanami!"

Looking behind her, Haruka saw the members of STARISH rushing towards her as well as the three remaining members of QUARTET NIGHT.

"Minna!" she called out.

"We've been looking for you everywhere!" Otoya told her.

"Oi Reiji! What's the deal with you?" Ranmaru barked out.

The silver haired man looked like he was about the hit the brown haired man. Haruka stood up between the newly arrived group and the ones sitting on the picnic blanket.

"Everything's fine," she told them, wanting to calm them down, "Kotobuki-senpai was introducing me to some people."

"What's so special about them?" Syo asked, looking at the two girls.

Honoka and Ayaka were ignoring the glances and glares, both taking a sip from their cup of pink lemonade sherbet punch. Reiji just took a bit of sandwich.

"You're all planning on attending the Kazumi Festival, right?" Honoka asked them.

"Eh? How do you know about it?" Natsuki asked them.

Ayaka smiled, "We're members of the Festival, of course!"

"Hey, you're the girl that won that Rock Song whatever event that Shining showed us a video about!" Ranmaru blurted out.

"Shining's showing videos?" Honoka asked Reiji who nodded, "He'll need to be discussed with by the Festival Staff."

Tokiya and Honoka shared a glance before each of them looked away.

"Sugoi! You look a lot like Tokiya here!" Otoya told her, pointing to the dark blue haired boy next to him.

"I know," Honoka replied coldly.

The atmosphere tensed with her words. Ayaka smiled nervously and looked at the new arrivals, "W-Why don't you sit down and join us?"

A rose appeared in front of her, startling her a bit, "Thank you for your generosity, little lamb."

Some of the people looked a bit annoyed at Ren's actions, some were amused. They all sat down on the picnic table, but the atmosphere was still a bit awkward for anyone to immediately start talking.

"My name's Yumeiki Ayaka," the pink-haired girl said, then she pointed to the dark blue haired girl, "And this is Honoka."

"If there is anything that you would like to know-" Ayaka started to say.

"Are Honoka and Tokiya related?!" Syo bursted out say.

"-a-about the KazuFest?"

Syo quickly gained a red face as he looked down in embarrassment.

"We're cousins," Honoka and Tokiya replied at the same time.

"EH?!"

"Tokiya-kun, how come you don't know about Kazumi Festival?" Natsuki asked.

"Yeah, your cousin is in it, why not you?" Cecil wondered.

"Just because we're cousins does not mean we're close," Honoka answered.

Tokiya just looked away from everyone. A tinge of sadness and shame surrounded his aura, Ayaka noted.

_Such a purple and starry aura_, Ayaka thought in awe.

"What happened?" Otoya asked.

Immediately, Honoka stood up, "I have to bring Ayaka home."

"Eh? Why now?" Reiji asked.

He quickly glomped Ayaka who was surprised by the attack but soon relaxed.

"Nagi's probably worried about her," Honoka stated, "He wanted her to be home ten minutes ago."

"What?" Ayaka looked shocked.

"Then why did you allow her to be here?" Reiji asked.

"That kid annoys me sometimes, Ayaka needs to be able to have some air and not compose a lot of songs for them," Honoka answered.

STARISH, 3/4 of QUARTET NIGHT, and Haruka froze at the name 'Nagi', immediately associating it with Mikado Nagi from HEAVENS.

"Excuse me," Masato started.

Reiji, Honoka, and Ayaka looked at him. Although, Reiji had a suspicious look that said that he knew what Masato was going to say.

"Could it be that you're talk about-"

He was cut off by a male voice that sounded completely young and childish.

"AYA-CHAN!"

They all turned towards the direction the voice was coming from and, within their field of vision, saw a boy with light salmon-pink hair and grey eyes. The members of STARISH froze at the person in front of them. Nagi ran over to hug Ayaka who had stood up once she saw the boy.

"Where have you been? I've been looking all over for you!" he told her with a worried look.

"G-Gomen ne, Nagi. I didn't know that you needed me," Ayaka said, she had a small blush on her face, as if she was happy that he was worried about him.

"Of course I do! Eiichi wanted me to find you to discuss about a new song for HEAVENS," he said with a smile.

Quickly, Ayaka's happy expression faded once finding out that Nagi was here for the sake of HEAVENS.

"Mikado Nagi! What are you doing here?" Syo exclaimed.

"Ah, look at that. It's STARISH. I didn't see you there for a moment," Nagi told them, a smirk on his face.

Before anyone else could comment on him, he placed a hand on Ayaka's waist, making her blush immediately, and pulled her closer.

"Have you met HEAVEN's new composer, Ayaka?" He said to them, "I'm sure that Shining Saotome had received Raging Otori's DVD of our last concert, right?"

They all froze except for Honoka and Reiji and quickly looked at Ayaka. This was the girl who wrote a song that had a happiness pulse as big their Maji Love 2000? The same song that had affected all of them to the core?

Ayaka gave them a shy smile.

Immediately their thoughts were all the same: Why was she stuck composing songs for a band like HEAVENS?

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please Read and Review. Thank you.**


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